New Research Reveals How Much Vitamin D You Need To Prevent Disease

Vitamin D has been shown to decrease risk for breast cancer, colon cancer, fractures, multiple sclerosis and Type 1 diabetes. The question is 'How much vitamin D is needed to cut risk?' Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have estimated those levels.

To act as a preventative, blood levels of vitamin D should be between 40 and 60 nanograms of 25-vitamin D per milliliter of blood. But according to a 2009 study, the average U.S. adult has only 24 nanograms per milliliter. (Unfortunately, you have to be involved in a study in order to afford the cost of the test, if ordered by your physician, as most medical insurance companies will not cover it.)

Surveying data from about 3,500 volunteers taking 1,000 to 10,000 IU of vitamin D daily, UCSD researchers measured their levels of the compound 25-vitamin D. They found that those who took between 4,000 and 8,000 IU per day were about half as likely to have vitamin D deficiency-related diseases, than those who took less than 4,000 IU per day. The study has been accepted for publication in the journal Anticancer Research; it can be read now at the website of Grass Roots Health.

Researchers say that 4,000 to 8,000 IU a day is safe for adults (1,000 to 3,000 for children), and will increase your blood levels of vitamin D to a protective level. Sunshine, not tanning booths, is a wonderful source of vitamin D, but difficult to calculate in terms of international units. Fish, dairy products, and several vegetables and grains are high in vitamin D, and they can be measured. A good source for measuring your daily IU, if you eat the high vitamin D foods, is on the Self website.

Whatever you are not getting from natural sources, take in soft gels, or tablets, or chewables, but get your daily 4.000 to 8,000 somehow. Make it a priority.